[Interregional secure hospital units in the somatic care system for prisoners].

The mission of the inter-regional secure hospital units is to care for incarcerated prisoners. There are eight of them in metropolitan France, one in each prison region. They are jointly managed by the health establishments for care and by the prison administration for security.

Management of pharmaceutical and recreational drug poisoning.

Background: Poisoning is one of the leading causes of admission to the emergency department and intensive care unit. A large number of epidemiological changes have occurred over the last years such as the exponential growth of new synthetic psychoactive substances. Major progress has also been made in analytical screening and assays, enabling the clinicians to rapidly obtain a definite diagnosis.

[UHSI in the somatic care system for prisoners].

Inter-regional secure hospital units have noted an increase in the complex pathologies and care load of detained patients they receive for somatic care in a short-stay scheduled hospitalisation. Communication between health care providers and prison staff is essential for the proper functioning of these closed units. Transmissions with level 1 health units are essential to ensure continuity of care upon the patient's return to custody.

Position paper update: whole bowel irrigation for gastrointestinal decontamination of overdose patients.

Context: A position paper on the use of whole bowel irrigation (WBI) was first published in 1997 by the American Academy of Clinical Toxicology (AACT) and the European Association of Poisons Centres and Clinical Toxicologists (EAPCCT) and updated in 2004. The aims of this paper are to briefly summarize the content of the 2004 Position Paper and to present any new data and recommendations.

Methods: A systematic review of the literature from January 2003 to February 28, 2013 was conducted using multiple online databases for articles concerning WBI for gastrointestinal decontamination.

[New antidotes in toxicology].

New antidotes appeared in the French pharmacopoeia (fomepizole, Viperfav), and old drugs, usually unused in toxicology, saw their indications enlarged in an antidotic activity (glucose and insulin, L-carnitine, octreotide). Fomepizole is an antidote for toxic alcohol and glycol intoxications, which is much easier to handle than ethylic alcohol and as efficient as the classical antidote of this kind of intoxication. Octreotide improves the result of hypertonic glucose infusion in sulfonylurea derivatives intoxications, by blocking insulin release.

Mass transfer, clearance and plasma concentration of procalcitonin during continuous venovenous hemofiltration in patients with septic shock and acute oliguric renal failure.

Objectives: To measure the mass transfer and clearance of procalcitonin (PCT) in patients with septic shock during continuous venovenous hemofiltration (CVVH), and to assess the mechanisms of elimination of PCT.

Setting: The medical department of intensive care.

Design: A prospective, observational study.